The Study of History at Harvard.

A very interesting and valuable pamphlet on the "The Study of History in American Colleges and Universities" has recently been published by the Burean of Education, at Washington. The main object of the publication is to trace the origin of the study of history at the various centers of learning in this country and to show the importance of the political and narrative history of the United States to the college faculties. Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Cornell and University of Michigan have been taken as the representative colleges for men in the United States. The following is an extract from the chapter on "History at Harvard University."

"The growth of historical studies at Harvard College is a subject of special educational interest, for it illustrates a process of academic development which is now in progress throughout the country at large. This process marks the rise of modern studies, as distinguished, on the one hand, from classic humanism, our inheritance from the Renaissance, and, on the other, from theological training, our inheritance from the Middle Ages.

"The earliest account of the course pursued at Harvard College is in a tract called 'New England's First Fruits' originally published in 1643, in which we find that one hour a week on Saturday afternoon's during the winter, is set aside for the study of history, the same amount of time during the summer being given up to the study of nature. There is no reason for believing that the standing of history in the curriculum of Harvard College was very much improved for two centuries after these scholastic Foundations. It was not until the year 1839 that the first professorship in history was instituted. It was the first distinct endowment of that special branch in any particular college, and it led the way to the recognition of history as worthy of an independent chair in all our better institutions of learning. The first incumbent of the McLean Professorship of ancient and modern history, was Jared Sparks, A. M., who was at that time engaged upon the pioneer work in the field of American history. Although Cornell was the first institution in America to establish a special chair for this branch of historical instruction, the most important to Americans, Harvard was the first to bring American history into decided prominence by the encouragement of original lectures upon this subject by Professor Sparks.

"To Professor Sparks' regime belongs the institution of historical requirements for admission to the freshman class. In 1846 occurs the first mention of a matriculation examination by the historical department in Ancient History and Geography. Since 1846 these two studies have continued to be the chief requirements of the historical department for admission to the college. In 1886 the history of England and the United States was proposed as a possible substitute for Greek and Roman history.

"Jared Sparks' professorship at Harvard was epoch-making for American history rather than for historical teaching. It was understood from the outset that his chief energy was to be expended in lectures to the senior and junior classes. He himself says of his appointment: 'Mr. Quincy said it was not proposed that I should have anything to do in the way of teaching by recitation from books, occasional examinations and lectures were proposed. For anything else I am not responsible. Let the tutor drill the boys.' Every college professor of history will sympathize with Mr. Sparks' view and be glad to see it put into practice. Mr. Sparks did his own work thoroughly and conscientiously, but he did not expect much from "the boys." Like them, he thought examination a good deal of a bore. He was a genial and extremely popular man, and when he became president the students always felt that he was on their side. His was a large and generous idea, and in all of his published work he has deserved well of his country, but the idea of the practical teaching of history, even of America, was yet to evolve from the tutorial system of Harvard College."